1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to measurement and testing of seawater and the like, and particularly to a seawater surface sampling device that samples water only in the topmost layer of a body of water.
2. Description of the Related Art
There exists a great deal of variety in the contents of seawater (and water contained in other natural bodies of water) based on depth from the water's surface. The topmost 0.5 cm of seawater is of particular interest, as it is highly concentrated with phytoplankton and zooplankton. Additionally, a wide variety of surface-atmospheric interactions, taxonomic diversity, the partial pressure of carbon dioxide, and contaminants (such as radionucleides) are of interest in numerous fields of study. Although a wide variety of techniques for sampling water exist, ranging from simple bottles which are dipped into the water to robotic skimmers, such devices typically collect the water from mixed depths including far more than just the topmost 0.5 cm surface layer. It would be desirable to be able to easily sample water taken just at the topmost surface layer. Thus, a seawater surface sampling device solving the aforementioned problems is desired.